1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to technologies for outputting a voice message converted from voice data including an email message received by a portable communication terminal.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, data communication between portable communication terminals such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and a laptop computer, or between communication terminals such as a personal computer is available. For example, the data communication includes email communication. An email is sent/received between those communication terminals through a communication network established by Internet service providers and telecommunication companies (carriers).
Before viewing an email received by a portable communication terminal, a user needs to run a special application for the email and to receive the email. Moreover, the user needs to carry out an operation for opening the email and to display the email message on a display screen of the portable communication terminal. The user cannot operate the portable communication terminal while the user is driving a vehicle, and therefore, the user cannot view the email message.
Not only a driver, but also a person who does a certain work in a cabin cannot view an email message received by his/her portable communication terminal.
In such a case, the following technology is disclosed: the technology that notifies a user who is driving a vehicle, of an email message received by a portable communication terminal, through voice to be output from an in-vehicle voice output apparatus (in-vehicle equipment).
However, inconveniences may occur if email messages received by all portable communication terminals are read out by an in-vehicle equipment when a plurality of persons who are carrying a portable communication terminal are in a vehicle.
In other words, there is a possibility that email messages received by portable communication terminals of other passengers are also read out even though it is sufficient that only an email message which is received by a portable communication terminal of a specific person who cannot check the email message because the person is working such as driving, is automatically read out by an in-vehicle equipment.